It is known that public restrooms and toilets are frequently not kept as clean and sanitary as basic hygiene standards require. This is particularly true of toilets and toilet seats that must be used by multiple persons. The toilet seats may be soiled or wet and/or may contain disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
A user generally has no choice but to use such facilities and may attempt to wipe the seat with toilet paper or other tissue. Additionally, a user may use toilet paper to cover the seat to provide a barrier between the user and the seat. This attempt is usually unsatisfactory because the toilet paper has a tendency to move during use. Moreover, toilet paper is absorbent; therefore, any moisture from the seat will soak through and contact the skin of the user. Furthermore, toilet paper on the seat does not solve the problem of wet or dirty toilet seats.
Some restrooms have paper toilet seat covers that may be used on the toilet seat. These covers are made of paper and are shaped to fit the shape of the seat. After use, the paper is flushed down the toilet. However, the paper has a tendency to slide over the surface of the seat and not stay in place. In addition, since these covers are flushable, moisture may also soak through the paper to the skin of the user. To prevent this, some seat covers are oversized to drape down the sides of the toilet bowl; others recommend adhering the cover to the toilet seat. Thus, paper seat covers do not provide satisfactory results of keeping the user clean and dry when using a public toilet.
Moreover, users of public restrooms are often subjected to toilets having bowls that have not been cleaned after the previous user. Often, the bowl is unclean and possibly a health hazard. It is impractical to expect that a public restroom should be cleaned after each use. It is also highly impractical to expect users to clean a toilet bowl after using it.
Accordingly, there is a need for a toilet bowl cover/bowl sanitizing system that is easy to use and effective.